Enough With The COP-SPEAK

Why don't they write like they talk? 

Why are local TV news stories written with so much "cop-speak" or law enforcement jargon instead of every day, universally understood words and phrases?

The simple answer is local writers, most often, cut and paste words and phrases from news releases provided by local law enforcement. Either the local reporters don't understand what they are covering or are so overworked that they don't have the time to properly rewrite a press handout. 

Below is an example. It's a simple story, compounded with copious amounts of police jargon.

The Maven has removed the writer's name and the station they work for. The intent is not to embarrass anyone, but to make a point.

FORT WAYE, Ind. (W***) – A standoff that started early Saturday ended after officers discharged their weapons on the suspect as they exited the vehicle with a weapon.

Maven: "Discharged"? Try "shot". 

"Exited the vehicle with a weapon". Try "got out of their car with a gun".

In a press release from Fort Wayne Police Department, shortly after midnight on Saturday officers were patrolling in the area of Calhoun Street and 4th Street when they noticed a suspicious vehicle. Officers attempted to make contact with the driver when the vehicle took off initiating a vehicle pursuit. The suspect drove towards the Wells Street roundabout coming to a stop and displaying a firearm.

Maven: "Officers attempted to..." Try "Officers tried to talk to...". 

"The vehicle took off...". Try "the driver (not the vehicle) sped away and officers followed in pursuit". 

"Displaying a firearm" (again, implying the vehicle displayed a gun). Try "displayed a gun".

Officers attempted to make contact verbally but the driver refused to exit the vehicle prompting officers to involve the Emergency Services Team, Tactical Officers and Crisis Response Team, Negotiators.

Maven: "Officers attempted to make contact...". Try "officers tried to talk to the driver who refused to get out of his car". 

"Prompting officers..." try "the Emergency Services Team, Tactical Officers and Crisis Response Team, Negotiators were brought in to help". 

Negotiators were able to establish communication with the suspect and spent several hours attempting to convince the suspect to exit the vehicle unarmed.

Maven: "...establish communications...". Try "talk to". 

"...attempting to convince...". Try "tried to get the suspect to get out of his car".

The story goes on from there, but you see the point. 

Why not use the everyday language you use when talking with friends, family, or your spouse...rather than police jargon? 

Take a look at this story from another TV news operation. Notice any difference? 

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (W&&&) - Fort Wayne Police say they shot a man when he got out of a car with a gun following a four-hour standoff early Saturday morning. 

Officers were patrolling the area of Calhoun and 4th streets just after midnight when they attempted to make contact with the driver of a "suspicious vehicle." 

Police say the car took off, leading to a pursuit that ended when the driver came to a stop at the Wells Street roundabout near Superior Street. 

Officers say they saw the suspect displaying a gun. 

Police closed the roundabout and called in its tactical team and negotiators because of the gun and his refusal to get out of the car.

Negotiators spent several hours trying to persuade the man to exit the vehicle without the gun. 

At 4:40 a.m., they say the man got out of the vehicle with a gun and officers shot him. A statement released by police did not say if the man pointed the gun at officers.

The man was treated at the scene and taken to a local hospital. His condition has not been released. 

Indiana State Police is investigating the shooting and the officers will be placed on a standard five-day administrative leave, both of which are protocol in police-involved shootings. 

The name of the man has not been released. 

The intersection is back open to traffic. 

The Problem With Breaking News...it's almost always broken

It started out as a shooting at the Bluffton Walmart.

Then it was a shooting at an apartment complex near the Bluffton Walmart.

Briefly, it was a stabbing at an apartment complex near the Bluffton Walmart. 

Then it was a beating at an apartment complex near the Bluffton Walmart. 

Then law enforcement had the final word.

WANE-15 puts it to bed:

Confused Media Creates Confused Listeners/Viewers/Readers

A few days ago, the Maven had the privilege of having lunch with a few retired media folks. One of the more notable topics of discussion centered around confused listeners/readers/viewers. 

Taking a look at what our local media cranks out, it's easy to understand why they are confused. 

First off, the use of the word "councilors" to refer to the Fort Wayne City Council, can confuse. While the term has been used to refer to members of city councils in places like Indianapolis, Cincinnati, and other cities, the word, while accurate, has not been used extensively in the Fort Wayne market. One of the most harped-upon rules of news writing is to use the most common, understandable word to describe something. In the case of the infamous 9 who we elected every 4 years, "City Council", "Councilman", "Councilwoman", and "Council Member" are the most commonly acceptable and recognizable names for the body for residents of Fort Wayne. In the example above, would not it have been better to say "City Council approves..."?

Another point of confusion is that while the headline says "councilors" the body copy of the story does not use the word, even once. While it has been argued that the term "councilor" is gender-neutral and non-sexist and promotes diversity and inclusivity, the description of Sharon Tucker begs why the writer did not call her a "councilor" rather than "councilwoman". 

And while we're at it, there's the term "city leaders" referring to a governing body, such as the Fort Wayne City Council. They are representatives of the people who elected them. They do not lead us, they represent us. There is only one "leader" for the City of Fort Wayne, and that is the mayor. 

Media Gossip: Two Rumors

A couple of rumors from the local media rumor mill. One substantiated, one not.

Substantiated: The Maven has been copied on an email string that indicates that former WANE-15 anchor Heather Heron will be joining the WPTA ABC21Alive operation sometime around the end of September.

Unsubstantiated: Multiple tips about former WPTA ABC21Alive anchor Brien McElhatten moving into the anchor chair at FOX55's news operation in the coming months. Tipsters are conjecturing that Brien is waiting out a non-compete clause in his contract if one exists and is enforceable. In the meantime, he's reportedly enjoying the benefits of being a stay-at-home dad. 

Stay tuned...as they say...

The Weather Extremeists

The reality is that it's going to be really hot and humid today. 

The fallacy is that at some point this afternoon, we will all suddenly burst into flames if we don't follow the "helpful" (read PANIC) warnings coming from the local TV newsrooms.

The two leading news operations have stoked panic by declaring today as a "15 Fury Alert Day" and a "First Alert Day". Those carefully-researched and focus-group-tested phrases are designed to imply that any exposure to the heat and humidity of the afternoon will put our lives in serious danger unless we stay at home and lock ourselves in our climate-controlled "safe spaces" while watching their continuous coverage we can count on interspersed with commercials from those annoying Peterman Brothers HVAC charlatans claiming the "furnace is free" (hint-it is not free).  (Yes, it's a run-on sentence). 

We see this type of weather hype most often in the winter months when we are told an impending Friday snowstorm could bring us 12-18 inches of snow. As the days approach for the "storm of the century", the snow totals are "revised" Tuesday to 6-8 inches, then Wednesday it's forecast 4-6 inches. Finally, on Friday, most of us are treated to a light dusting of snow or just some flurries. "We sure dodged a bullet on that one, whew"! they will proudly exclaim.

All of this codswallop is by design. 

Somewhere in the last 10 years, TV stations quit calling their nightly news presentations "newscasts" and began to call them "shows". In essence, PT Barnum has replaced Ed Murrow. Somewhere along the line TV news operations embraced the ignorant idea that their viewing audiences consist of barely literate, mouth-breathing fools whose attention spans are measured in milliseconds. Therefore, to engage their audience, modern-day journalistic operations feel they have to present their "shows' with all the "flash/bang fireworks subtly" of a Trump MAGA rally. 

One of the most annoying aspects of today's situation is the premise that these weather extremes are somehow "new" and have "never been experienced" by mankind before. Kids, this is Indiana. This is August. It gets hot and humid every year, some years more than others. 

Why is this seemingly new to those on the TV? One explanation is that those who choose and present what we see on TV were born after 1999. The only Fort Wayne mayors they remember are Graham Richard and Tom Henry. So, with little real-world experience, a good old Hoosier heatwave is something to behold and fear. They forget that most people in the audience lived a portion of their lives without air conditioning in their homes, workplaces, and schools. They are unaware that cell phones and the internet did not exist until their generation. They also forget that the parents and grandparents of their current audience worked in the fields and factories in heat and cold without the benefit of modern HVAC technology...unlike the coddled young "journalists" of today who matriculated their way through Ball State in those air-conditioned dorms and classrooms. 

It's about perspective and understanding and respecting the audience. 

It's going to be hot today. Just like any extremely hot August day.

 
The weather information is necessary, but the hype is not. 

Local Newscasts vs Cheez Whiz

Today's point to ponder: What do local TV newscasts and Cheez Whiz have in common?

Well, let's start with Cheez Whiz. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires a label on Cheez Whiz that says "processed cheese food". The label is required because Cheez Whiz does contain SOME cheese, it's also packed with other ingredients or FILLERS. 

Local TV newscasts are often referred to as "shows" by anchors and reporters for the same reason. While local newscasts do contain SOME news, they are also packed with FILLERS. "Lifestyle", "trending", and other "feature" material, in addition to weather and sports recaps, comprise each "show".

This also begs the question: If the word "show" is how local TV news describes their product, does that also mean that those individuals who write and report the information consider themselves "performers" as opposed to "journalists"? 

 

WPTA ABC21Alive Fubars Continue

First, the BAD news: WPTA ABC21Alive continues to look foolish with numerous spelling and grammar errors.

The GOOD news? No one can accuse WPTA ABC21Alive of using AI, artificial intelligence, apps to write their news. Those AI apps would do a much better job.

The latest from the kids on Butler Road:

What kind of birds are those?

 

Try to read the first sentence. Dare you. 

And this memorable mess from a few days ago:

The Maven is not sure what's going on at WPTA ABC21Alive. Perhaps the Fort Wayne Literacy Alliance can step in and hold some classes for WPTA ABC21Alive news staffers. 

Awards Mean Little Except To Those Receiving Them

The Maven "congratulates" WPTA ABC21Alive for their most recent "award". 

Nice work, kids.
Looking at WPTA ABC21Alive's announcement online, one has to conclude that SPELLING was not one of the criteria for their major award. 

OK, so it's a "small" spelling error but the Maven is reminded of a quote from former anchor/diva/regional Emmy winner Alexis Gray who chided critics of WPTA ABC21Alive's sometimes sensationalized breaking news coverage by saying that "facts don't matter during breaking news...our newscasts save lives". So, the Maven has to conclude that nuisances like spelling, grammar, and punctuation don't matter as long as they are saving lives. Got it. 

In case you're wondering what incident prompted the "facts don't matter ... our newscasts save lives" response can be seen in the Twitter posts from the day of the incident.

You Are A Week Behind, WOWO

Kids in the news room might want to check their dates.

The shooting was on "Monday night", but it was LAST (Feb 27) Monday night. 

Yes, the suspect was apprehended on "Tuesday morning", but again that was LAST Tuesday morning (Feb 28).

Also wondering why your story says the victim was still in critical condition when you also report that his death was ruled a homicide by the coroner. 

Annoyance #22

It's the petty things that seem to annoy the Maven the most.

Clickbait is one of those things. 

These are not local stories appearing in the Maven's Twitter feed but give one the impression they are because of their compelling subjects and content.

While not an illegal practice, and given today's standards for TV journalism, probably not seen as an unethical practice, it's still deceptive and a cheap way to increase click-throughs and revenue, while also frustrating and disappointing to the WPTAABC21Alive audience.

What's Happened at WPTAABC21Alive?

WPTAABC21Alive makes the occasional typo or fat-finger error, like the majority of media outlets.

But recently, WPTAABC21Alive's reporting has been progressively worse.

These are a couple current instances along with the Maven's sarcastic remarks:

Maybe WPTAABC21Alive should focus on quality rather than quantity given that it broadcasts morning news in addition to 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 11pm.

One More Example Why Local TV News Stinks

The Maven has received some "pushback" about comments critical of a WPTA ABC21Alive story on their official website. Here is the story, with some comments from the Maven. 

According to an email sent to fwmediamaven@gmail.com, the Maven is accused of ridiculing and hurting the feelings of the young writer of the story. Boo hoo. 

Even those individuals with a Ball State degree will note that the example the Maven used to criticize this news story does NOT contain the name of the writer. So, claiming someone has been ridiculed is childish and not germane to this discussion. Nice try. 

The actual purpose of the criticism is to, once again, point out that local TV stations do not work to grow and expand the skills and experience of their young talent. Instead, local TV stations simply take these "green" college graduates and throw them to the wolves. News stories like this one are a perfect example.